My '88 ClubWagons maiden trailer voyage

[jayro88]

Getting ready to set out for a track weekend. Not sure if I am more excited about the track time or seeing how the ClubWagon works as a tow vehicle.....since that was a main reason I purchased it. Now I don't even need a tent to camp out at the track due to the fold down bed in the back.....sweet!!

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[bigoilburner20]

nice but is that a taurus ? whats in between those rails 302 or v6?

 

[jayro88]

nice but is that a taurus ? whats in between those rails 302 or v6?

It is a 1994 Taurus SHO 5 speed. It has a 3.2l v6 n/a. It dyno'd right at 300 chp. Not the fasted thing on the track, but I have run down some decent cars with it.

 

[freebird01]

your right up the road from me...

 

[jayro88]

your right up the road from me...

Yes I am. I am in Ft Wayne quite a bit. I am actually just south of Auburn......about 10 minutes from Dupont Rd.

 

[freebird01]

did you buy your van in PA? there wasone just like it floating around the rausch creek board.

im in NE FW just off St. Joe road

 

[jayro88]

did you buy your van in PA? there wasone just like it floating around the rausch creek board.

im in NE FW just off St. Joe road

No, I got it from a guy just outside of Ft Wayne, by the GM plant. He only used it in the summer and stored it indoors all winter. Only 120k miles, but I have had to fix a few small things on it.....mostly stuff from lack of use.

Found it on Craigslist.

 

[whiteboyslo]

Have fun! I get the same feeling when I go to my trackdays. I don't know if I'm more excited for the track, or for the ride there.

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Mike

 

[jayro88]

Yep. I am gonna be laughing at everyone who is setting up their tent while I am sprawled out on my nice bed in back. Already thinking about an inverter to maybe run a mini-fridge and microwave....still gotta work out the details though.

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Have fun! I get the same feeling when I go to my trackdays. I don't know if I'm more excited for the track, or for the ride there.

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Mike

 

[bigoilburner20]

wow thats an awesome interior wow and 300 what all did you do to that taurus and man that van I anit a van man but its kinda growing on me.

 

[jayro88]

wow thats an awesome interior wow and 300 what all did you do to that taurus and man that van I anit a van man but its kinda growing on me.

I was originally looking for a 4 door truck since I wanted something to tow with and room for the whole family (5 of us). Then I remembered traveling in conversion vans when I was growing up. Started looking around at what was available and stumbled across this one. I love it, but the wife thinks it's ugly....calls it the ChuckWagon instead of the ClubWagon. Hasn't stopped her from taking naps in the back when we are stuck at my sons soccer tournaments all weekend.

On the Taurus I ported and polished the stock intake, redid the exhaust, added hotter cams and an underdrive crank pulley to save the alternator when I bounce it off 8.2K RPM's. Pulled a bit of weight out of it too. It is not the regular Taurus though, it is the SHO model. Started out with 220hp, which was good for 1989 when they first started producing them. The engine was built on contract by Yamaha and is supposed to be based off of their F1 platform.....don't ask me why they stuck it in a FWD Taurus. Not a good drag strip car since they don't launch well, but besides that they would run down the Fox Bodies and IROC's of the same era. Sorry to ramble on.....i am kind of a SHO addict in need of a 12 step program.

 

[Devon Harley]

My dad has a 93 or 92 forget SHO an it's a 5sp an the local tire shop guy has one that's an auto tho it's got some stuff alot of sup. work handles great. But my dads 5sp gets it for what it is out ran clk Mercedes 320 an 3000gt nice ride an can get about 25 mpg on freeway! Cool car man! Also u must be pretty good at workin on that car most people wouldn't touch em with a 10 foot pole pia to work on. Along time ago when they came out there was not many at all who knew how to work on em.

 

[jayro88]

My dad has a 93 or 92 forget SHO an it's a 5sp an the local tire shop guy has one that's an auto tho it's got some stuff alot of sup. work handles great. But my dads 5sp gets it for what it is out ran clk Mercedes 320 an 3000gt nice ride an can get about 25 mpg on freeway! Cool car man! Also u must be pretty good at workin on that car most people wouldn't touch em with a 10 foot pole pia to work on. Along time ago when they came out there was not many at all who knew how to work on em.

THanks for the compliment.
Thet aren't TOO bad to work on. Better than my wifes old 1.8t Jetta.....I hated that car. THere are little tricks that you learn to get to stuff on the SHO and sometimes you have to make your own/adapt a tool to work right. My suspension is tweaked too. Funny, we all talk about HP/TQ, but upgrading the brakes and suspension is what increased the fun factor of the car the most.

 

[freebird01]

Thet aren't TOO bad to work on.

Compared to a van most things are easier to work on....

and Jay Leno has the best SHO powered vehicle....

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300hp SHO motor on nitrous in a Ford Festiva....aka SHOgun

 

[jayro88]

Yeah, that would definitely be fun. I know of at least one guy that is currently building a turbo charged one of those. He has it up and running and is now working on all the body mold etc. I bet the back end would step out on one of those pretty easy. A couple of guys put the SHO motor in the back of a Geo Metro and ran it in the 24hr of Lemons. Said it was fast, but squirrly as a ****.